Living together
by Jacck1234
Summary: Sakura learns that sometimes you really get no sleep at all if youre living with someone else. But maybe its worth it.


It was late in the night as Sakura walked home from the hospital to her home. The long day of work had worn her out and she just wanted to be at hers and Narutos appartement. She let out a loud sigh.  
Who would've ever imagined that she and her best friend would share an apartment one day? But it had been the best option they had have. He wanted to move in his old parents house anyway and she had wanted to leave her parents home. So they had decided to live together.  
It had a lot pros for both of them. At first there was the rent. Sakura would've never been able to live in such a great house from her own money and Naruto never wanted any rent from her. He was just happy to not be alone in his big house.  
That and the fact that the Namikaze residence was only a few minutes from the hospital were the two main reasons she had decided to move with him back then.  
Now it was the fact, that living with Naruto was actually fun. He had grown up alot more than Sakura had expected. To her surprise Naruto had become a very tidy person, she never had to yell at him, to clean up the house or do the washing up. He always did it by himself. On top of that Naruto was a great cook and loved it to surprise her when she came home.  
Sakura on the other side had taken care to make the house cozy. New furniture, some pictures of her Naruto and their friends and everything else. Yes it was their home.  
She turned left around a corner and a second later she was at the front door. She took out her keys an opened it.  
Sakura and Naruto were as close as best friends could be. She enjoyed it to watch movies with him and to eat with their friends. She also loved it to just lay on the couch with him and do nothing but talk about her day at the hospital and listen to his story of his team.  
HIS team,that was another thing Sakura never had expected from him: to be a teacher for a genin team.  
"A lot has changed in this year" she thought as she entered the house and went to her room to take of her hospital clothes.  
A year ago Naruto had managed to bring Sasuke back. She didnt know how, but he had.  
One month after Narutos 20th birthday came back from a mission and alongside him there had been Sasuke. Naruto had fulfilled his promise to her.  
At first Sasuke had been jailed, but never tried to escape. Naruto had done everything to bring back his friends reputation and had been successful again. Sasuke even had been allowed to join the ANBU and was now a respected member of the village again.  
She had been happy to have Sasuke back, but she wasnt in love with him anymore. She liked him as a friend and he had been really glad abotu that fact.  
Six months later Naruto and Sakura moved together. Not as lovers, but as best friends. That was how both of them had agreed to stay, just best friends and it had worked so far.  
Sakura went to the kitchen after she had changed into some comfortable clothes. There she found a still warm meal and a note from Naruto.

Hi Sakura,  
sorry but I had to meet my team today. They talked me into a visit to some place to dance.  
I wont be home till morning.  
I´ll leave a clone to cook for you.  
I'm sure you can need something to eat after the hospital.  
Your friend,  
Naruto.

"As always" she thought and started to eat. I did indeed taste great, but she wished that he would be here to eat with her. He was always away on Fridays.  
Two month after he had brought Sasuke back, Naruto took watch over his genin team. Since then he had been away a lot. Missions, training, meeting his friends and the evenings with his team took a lot of his time.  
He was always away for some reason and only at home two or three evenings per week. Still he took his time to listen to her and to take her out sometimes. Just as friends, nothing more.  
When he wasnt home Sakura felt a bit lonely in their big house, but most of the time she invited Ino to come over.  
Sakura finished her meal and then walked to the living room. There was another note, some popcorn and a DVD.

"Your favorite movie. Have fun and don't be mad at me for not being there."

"Oh Naruto youre hopeless" she sighed. He always did this sort of things for her. Sakura put the DVD in the DVD-player and started to watch the movie. Naruto´s concern about her being happy was one thing that confused her.  
Sakura knew that he had had feelings for her, but when they moved together he suddenly had stopped to ask her out, or to call her Sakura-chan. Maybe he had given up. Sure, Sakura enjoyed it to lie in his arms while watching a movie, or to rest her head on his shoulders when she was sleepy, but that was the sort of things all good friends did, wasnt it?  
Naruto never brought girls home or went on dates and neither did Sakura, but she was sure there were a lot of girls who were after him. She had seen it when she and Naruto went on official events. They all stared after him, or wanted to talk to him. Who wouldnt? He was tall, handsome with his blonde hair and a great Ninja , the hero of the village on top of that. And he was a nice person, a good teacher, who was loved by his team and he had stopped to act stupid when he was around people who weren't his friends. Short: he was a perfect boyfriend in the eyes of young girls and because he was just twenty years old he wasnt to old for the dreaming teenagers.  
Naruto took Sakura with him most of the time, because when she was around, most of these girls wouldnt try to talk to him, but some werent as scared as the others and tried to talk him into dates. He always said no, even thought there were a lot beautiful girls asking.  
Sakura herself was now 19 and in charge of the hospital, she even had some genin training basic medic skills. Under them was Jasmin, a blond girl with a long pigtail like Ino. She was from Narutos team. A really nice girl ,always talking from her great sensei. The though brought a smile on Sakuras face. Yes the girl was impressed by him.  
"Sensei Naruto invited us to Ramen" or " Sensei told me about your great healing jutsus, can you show me?" and sometimes "Could you imagine that sensei Naruto wasnt popular a a kid ?" That was what came from Jasmin all the time, but the girl was good at being a medic and so Sakura was ok with these things. She even was good friends with Jasmin.  
She knew all members of Narutos very well.  
The other two members, both boys, were in the hospital every two days because they pushed each other too far, when they were training.  
One of them was Jack a tall boy for his age , with short brown hair , brown eyes , who was always accompanied by his german shepherd Rex and the other was Shawn who was also very tall but had black hair and green eyes.  
Sakura had scolded them more then one time for being careless and overdoing it, just like Naruto. But they did it again and again just like their Sensei did when he was their age. That was how fourteen year old boys acted when they spend to much time with Naruto.  
Another sigh came from Sakuras lips and she shook her head. She was thinking of Naruto way too much and she had to stop that. If she would start to have feelings for him now she would ruin their friendship and that was one thing she really was afraid of:: to lose Naruto.  
Naruto already had stopped to be as much into her, as he used to be when Sasuke came back with him. Sakura and Naruto were on some dates back then and had a lot of fun but as Sasuke came back Naruto suddenly had stopped to ask her out. Sakura never understood why but accepted it. It was okay just too be friends and now they were living together and were as near as anyone could be. Why ruin that by falling for him, when he was over her?

After she had finished the film she got up from the couch. Naruto still wasnt home. She hated it when he wasnt around to say her good night. A year ago, when they weren't living in the same house he even had called every evening to say her good night. But that was before he got over her.  
Sakura really didn't understand why he had stopped to be in love with her or why she was so upset about it, but there was nothing she could do.  
Entering her room and stripping her clothes she went into her bathroom to brush her teeth. After that she put on a T-shirt that Naruto had given her to sleep in it on a mission some time ago. He had said she could keep it and it was more comfortable as her pyjama.  
When she laid down on her bed and got under the sheets, a yawn escaped her mouth. God, she really was tired.  
"Maybe I should go on a date with Naruto again. It really was fun..." she tought before she fell asleep.

/

"AH DAMNIT! NOT AGAIN!"  
Sakura woke up. She saw the light of her alarm clock. 4 in the morning.  
"What the hell?" she said to herself. Than she heard a voice from the living room.  
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"  
That was Naruto and he did sound like he was in pain because of something. Sakura got up and ran into the living room. She couldn't believe what she saw.  
There he was, Naruto lying on the floor, blood slowly dripping from his head.  
"Naruto! What happened?" she got next to him taking up from the ground and on the couch. As he tried to stand up he stumbled an fell back on the couch.  
She could imagine how he had hurt his head.  
"He must have fallen and hit his head at the table" she thought.  
"Sorry." his voice was full of regret. "I should have keep quiet." Naruto put his hand to his head to stop the blood dripping into his eyes.  
""THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Sakura couldn't believe his words. "Are you stoned or drunk or anything else like this?"  
"No."  
Just one word. No explanation for his behavior. Nothing else. He didn't even look into her face. Sakura was in shock. What happened? Why was he hurt? Did something like this happen before? Why didn't he tell her?  
She started to heal his head, to stop him from bleeding. He as shaking all over his body. His hair was wet from his sweat. Now she could see his face. It made her even more worried, because Narutos blue eyes didn't focus.  
"Naruto, whats up with you? Do you feel ill? Tell me. begged him. Sakura put her head to his head. feeling the sweat on his forehead.  
"Fuck! He is burning in fever." She had to do something about him. He was really ill and knowing Naruto Sakura was damn sure that he had been ill for days already, not telling anybody about him and pushing himselft over his limits.  
"Sakura." his eyes managed it to focus at her face. " Sorry for waking you up this late and making you heal me. I'm fine. Please go to sleep."  
How could he say this? Did he really try to make her believe this bullshit? Did he really think, she would be upset because of him being sick? Did he think she was such a bitch to blame him for that?  
"No he just doesn't know whats happening to him. He is over his limits and doesn't want me to see him like this." she realized. He wanted to be her strong hero, that took care of her alll the time. He didn't wanted her to think of him as weak, because he couldn't handle this illness.  
"I love you please don't be mad." he mumbled. " I wish you would go out with me more often, but I do understand that you just want to be friends. I want to be there for you even if I only can do it as your friend." the fever let him talk free what was in his mind.  
He was still in love with her? It couldn't be. But then again it was Naruto, he always had been into her. ...It didn't matter now. She had to help him and not to wonder about his feelings.  
"It's ok Naruto. Just relax." she made some hand signs and a second later he was asleep. "You need a break sometimes Baka." she said as she took him from the couch to his room.  
Placing him in his bed she started to make hand signs again. Then she went to her room and grabbed some of her medic utilities. It would take her all night to cure Naruto. She knew that, but that was what she was good at: to help Naruto back at his feet.  
It wasnt much for all he did for her, but it was something she could do. She didn't know why but he needed her and she needed him. They took care over each other all the time and now it was her turn again. She felt his tensed muscles as she started to heal his body. They were about to burst. That blond stupid idiot had really really fucked up himself this time.  
She worked for hours and managed it to bring his fever down and made sure his body was ok. She knew he would still sleep for at least ten hours, because of her jutsu. Then she would talk some sense into him. It had to stop, that he was this careless about himself. She was exhausted from healing him. Her chakra was at such a low level now, that she couldn't even get into her room.  
"There no way to get around this." she thought. "Il sleep in his bed tonight. Theres nothing wrong with that."  
She laid down next to him. There was no pillow left for her so she crawled under the sheets snuggled her body to Narutos and laid her head on his chest. It was comfortable and Naruto would never know she had done it, as long as she got up early enough.  
Sakura felt his warm and now relaxed body. Heard his slow heartbeat as sleep took over her.  
"I don't know why, but I could get used to this" she thought before her eyes closed and she drifted away.

She had weird dreams

/

She was in the park of Konoha. Before her sat a young pink haired girl, which she knew all too well. The girl was eating her lunch and didn't seem to see her older self standing in front her. Sakura was confused at first but then she realized what was going on.  
"This is a dream." she thought as a question appeared in her head: "Why am I here?" THis wasnt one of her regular dreams. Repeating her memories in her dreams almost never happened to Sakura.  
Before she could think about it anymore she felt a small hand wrap around her own. She flinched, as she saw another young version of herself holding her hand.  
"What the...?"  
"Relax." the Sakura holding her hand said. "Youre here because I want to show you something." The young Sakura next to her sounded a bit annoyed by heer older self. She watched the Girl on the Bench.  
"Remember that day?" She asked.  
"Yeah I do." the older Sakura said. "Who are you?" This dream was so weird and confused her.  
"Im your inner self, your true feelings, your subconscious, whatever you want to call me. I thought you would've figured that out already." the little girl explained with an annoyed look on her face.  
"And you and me are here why?" the old Sakura asked looking at the scene before her again.  
"Because you wonder why Naruto never shows his weak side to you. You want to know why he always acts tough and buries his true feelings inside him. Thats why were here."  
" How...?" The real Sakura wanted to know but was cut off by her younger self.  
"Just watch. You´ll see."  
Sakura already knew what would happen. This was the day Sasuke first complimented her forehead, then ran away and then insulted her by saying she was annoying. She had never understood why.  
Suddenly a young Sasuke walked by and she saw the on the bench squealing and blushing, while the younger Sakura next to her and herself made a face like they both needed to puke to that behavior.

"Sasuke-kun!"  
"You have such a charming wide forehead. Makes me want to kiss it." the black-haired boy said, making the girl on the bench blush.  
"Not. Only Naruto would say that" he continued and sat next to her. The girl's head sunk down.  
"I wanted to ask you what you think about Naruto." Sasuke asked. Sakura looked at him and wondered, while her older- and inner-self could just watch.  
" He´s become accustomed interfering my love and likes to see me in trouble. He knows nothing about me. He is annoying. I just want you to accept me Sasuke-kun" The young girl on the bench said.  
"Just me to accept you?" the black haired boy asked.  
"I´ll do anything." the dream Sakura continued and started to bring her face near to Sasuke to kiss him.  
But before they could kiss the boy hold his stomach and ran away.

"You know, I almost expected to see Naruto using a transforming jutsu!." the older Sakura said still looking at the girl on the bench.  
"I know. I'm your inner remember?" her inner self next to her said. "And your right. It would have fit to him wouldn't it?"  
"It would." Sakura replied.  
Then the scene continued with Sasuke coming back.

"Sasuke-kun you're such a shy guy!" the dream Sakura squealed. "Are you ready? I am."  
Sasuke just went on walking away.  
"Wait!" sakura said.  
"Wheres Naruto" the boy asked.  
"Changing the subject again? Forget about Naruto. All he does is pick quarrels with you. It probably because he´s had such an irregular childhood. Oh yeah you know he doesn't have parents right? Hes always doing selfish things. My parents would scold at me if i did those things. If youre alone, your parents wouldn't get mad at you. Thats why he is so selfish." the young Sakura said without thinking or seeing Sasukes glares as she spoke.  
"The solitude..." Sasuke began. " You can't compare it to the level were your parents get mad at you."  
"Whats the matter?" the young girl wondered.  
"Youre annoying" Sasuke said.

"Was I really such a mean bitch?" the older Sakura asked her inner self. "Not knowing anything about Naruto and saying something like that?"  
"Yes." her inner replied simply. "But that's not whats important. Tell me what did you see?"  
"Uhm, I saw Sasuke asking me about Naruto, caring about what I think and than running away in a very funny way."  
"And then?" her inner asked. "When he came back?"  
"HHmm...He first ignored me like he always did and then insulting me."  
"Seems very very strange, doesn't it?" her inner asked.  
"It does but what does this all have to do with Naruto? " the older Sakura wondered.  
"Remember what did you think about, as he insulted you?" her inner said pointing at the girl on the bench which was lost in her thoughts.  
"I thought how Naruto must have felt the same as I did and how I wanted to be nicer to him."  
"Exact. Now watch again." Her inner said as the young messy Naruto came to the bench, mumbling something about eating something wrong.

A forced smile on her face Sakura stood up and greeted Naruto.  
"Lets get back to the classroom Naruto!" she yelled waving at him.  
"Sakura-chan?" the young boy asked before he held his stomach and ran away leaving the young Sakura screaming at him.  
"BAKA!"

The scene vanished and left Sakura and her inner-self in white nothingness.

The real Sakura started to giggle.  
"Typical Naruto!" she said with a smile.  
"Yeah, but think about what he did." her inner self demanded.  
"He held his stomach and ran away just like Sasuke did as he sat with me the first..." Sakura answered. "NO. You want to say that...?"  
"Im can only say what you already expect. This is your dream, your memory and I am what you truly feel. I don't say anything. YOU do." her inner self said. "But would it be so suprising for Naruto to transform into Sasuke to know what his love thinks about him?"  
"No that would exactly be like the younger Naruto." Sakura realized. "What still makes no sense is, why he doesn't open up to me and always plays the strong guy."  
" Maybe he don't want you to see him weak, because he is afraid what you would've think of him then. The last time you clearly told "HIM" what you thought about him, was here. If you were him, and hear your love say something about you like this, would you open up again?"  
" Probably not." the older Sakura said. "But we are best friends now, plus I have seen him hurt in the hospital a thousand times."  
" I know. Inner self and this Stuff remember." her inner replied. "But a broken arm is nothing compared to a broken heart. Why do think he always cares for you, wants to make you happy and be your hero?"  
"Because he loves me." Sakura said as if it was as obvios as the fact that the grass was green. It was the only plausible awnser. Even if he agreed to just stay friends it had to be like this."  
"Right. He loves you. He is more or less addicted to you." her inner self said.  
"So he is afraid to lose me, because of being weak?" Sakura asked. "He thinks that I wouldn't want to be around him if he was weak?"  
"WHy shouldnt he. You first started to have interest in him as he came back from his training. For him it must have looked like being strong was a chance to get you."  
"But that's bullshit. I didn't have interest in him just because he was strong? What girl would be like that?"  
"Who knows? After all Naruto is a boy. He may understand you more than every other person, but he still doesn't get you at all." her inner self said making Sakura think about it. "And the fact that Naruto is still Naruto, no matter how much he has matured cant help. We both know that."  
"True." Sakura said, reminding how Naruto was. "Why am I here?" she suddenly asked.  
"Think about it. Why do you dream about someone? Why does a person care about what is going on with another person, why do you sleep in his bed in this exact moment were talking?" Her Inner asked.  
Sakura thought about it. Because they were friends? No that wasnt it. Because he did the same for her? No, that wasnt it either. She would have done the same if he didn't. Then the only possible awnser came to her mind.  
"Because I love him." she stated. Inner sakura smiled at her.  
"You finaly admit it. Now let me tell you what you will do next. When you wake up, you´ll cut out all the "best friends" stuff. You´ll kiss Naruto and then you´ll watch how he reacts. Dont worry what could be. Just do it."  
"I will." Sakura said. She and Naruto already lived together and were as close as possible and she couldn't think of being with someone else than Naruto. He always made her happy and cared for her already. To be his girl couldn't be this bad. Maybe he would open up to her. If not she could still beat the shit out of him.  
As if inner Sakura had read her thoughts she said: "Good girl. Now just sleep and dream without thinking."  
Everything faded and Sakura went into the blur of her normal dreams.

She felt someone stroking her hair. She purred by each touch, because it was such a nice feeling. A smile one her face, her eyes still closed she gave in to the caring touch. It was warm around her, she felt safe and had a smell in her nose she knew. Sakura had no clue to what it did belong, but she liked it.  
Trying not to think about anything Sakura snuggled deeper into thou warmth next to her and enjoyed the comfortable feeling.  
" I could stay like this forever" she tought before remembering her dreams, where she was and who was next to her, stroking her pink hair. It wasnt the first time she awoke in his bed, she always stayed here when she felt lonely and Naruto never did something she didn't want. Her eyes opened.  
"Morning Sakura" Narutos sweet voice said. he his still played with her hair. It didn't matter that he had caught her. Nor did his strange behavior or why he had stopped to ask her out. Things would change now.  
"Morning." she said turning her eyes at him. "Feel better today?"  
"Thanks to you. Sorry for bothering you with my illness." he said happily watching her. That was the Naruto she wanted to see. The lovedrunk fool he was. The Idiot that was into her, not the strange wannabe best friend.  
"Next time being ill, come to me instead of walking around for days" she softly scolded him but stroked his cheek the same time.  
"I´ll do that." He said. Then she saw his blush. It made her heart jump. He leaned a bit into her touch.  
"Whats up with the red face? It's not the first time I sleep in your bed, is it?" she asked with a light smile on her face. She loved this shy side of Naruto.  
"It's just that you look really...uhhhmm..." he started not able to continue.  
" I look really...what?" she asked teasing him.  
"Hot..." he whispered not looking at her to hide his blush.  
"I didn't hear you Naruto."  
"YOU LOOK HOT SAKURA-CHAN!" He said in a loud voice, his face deep red. Yes he really was in love with her and not able to suppress it while being this close. Time to cut out the best friend bullshit. Time to give him what they both wanted.  
"We already are a couple. We do everything a couple does, we live together, we sleep in the same bed. We see each other as "hot" and we love each other" her mind went blank for a second as the thought went through it. She loved Naruto. The funny thing was it didn't bother her at all. She leaned to his face and gave him a small kiss on the lips.  
"You look hot too silly." she said, lying her head back at his chest. She knew how confused he was now and didn't need to see his face to smile from it.  
"Sa-Saku-Sakura-chan, di-did yo-you just k-ki-kiss me?" he stuttered. She giggled at his voice. He was so cute  
"Maybe, but don't get to cocky about it. Your still a stupid baka for running around ill." she said snuggling more into his chest. " I had to work on you all night and barely slept. Now make it up to me."  
"B-ut h-how?" he asked still stunned by what she had did.  
"You could start by continuing stroking my hair. I like that. Oh and you´ll have to hold me in your arms while I get the sleep you stole from me." she ordered him feeling how he obeyed to her without hesitation.  
"Sorry again, I´ll do whatever you say that it makes you happy." He said pulling her closer.  
"I know Baka, that's why I love you." she said, while she fell asleep again.  
"I love you too Sakura." he said as he also fell asleep again. It was too much for him too understand, but he wouldn't complain. He had Sakura with him and she had said that she loved him. He didn't need more explanation.  
"Baka" he heard her mumble. "My Baka."

It would get more interesting now. They both knew, there wouldn't be only good times, but none of them did care. They would just enjoy each others love and continue living together.


End file.
